Display means



Jan. 27, 1959 w. c. ADAMS ET AL DISPLAY MEANS Filed Feb. 20, 1956 r IIIIIIII `lllllllllllll United Safes Patent@ DISPLAY MEANS William Clyde Adams and Alvin D. Andersen,

Norwalk, Calif.

Application February 20, 1956, Serial No. 566,648 t 2 Claims. (Cl. lll-1.5)

Y resides in the display of bottled goods, such as various and sundry makes of whisky, cordials, and other beverages, and whereby when the bottles are upon a shelf in alignment for display purposes, a selected brand is caused to tip forwardly relative to the other bottles and thereby attract attention to it. The invention 4lends itself to commodities of any character, whether it be foodstuffs or various articles of manufacture.

The invention has for an object the provision of a display means, which is simple of construction, efficient in use and generally superior to display devices and means now known to the inventors.

In one embodiment of our invention, we provide means for clamping the base of a bottle and then providing means whereby the. bottle is tipped forwardly'and backwardly, the degree of tipping being regulatable, as is also the timing at which tipping occurs.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a perspective view, partly in fragment, showing a display f beverage bottles, one of which bottles is to be featured from the brands of the other bottles,

Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly in fragment, showing the improved display means,

Figure 3 is an end elevation, partly in fragment, of the means shown in Figure 2, and looking in the direction ofthe arrow 3 in said gure, and

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring now with particularity to the drawing, We have shown in Figure l a counter or shelf 1, upon which is a display of bottles containing different brands of liquor held within bottles 2, one of the bottles 3 of which is to have the brand thereof featured. The bottles 2 may be in alignment and closer together than depicted in Figure l, while the brand in vbottle 3 is to be tipped forwardly and backwardly relative to the other bottles 2. In this manner, attention is directed to the brand in bottle 3.

The means for tipping bottle 3 is shown in the remaining figures, and includes` a bottle supporting strap 4 provided at one end with a hinge 5 having a short strap 6 adapted to be secured to a foundation member 7, the foundation member resting upon the counter or shelf 1, or the said hinge strap 6 may be directly secured to tbe shelf or counter 1. The strap 4 is elongated and, in the present instance, is of reverse curve form, as shown in Figure 2. The strap 4 is of a width sufficient to support the base of the bottle 3. Specifically, a plurality of angle members 8 are spacedly secured to the upper surface of the strap, as shown best in Figure 4, and to one leg of each angle member is secured a band 9, the said band adapted to encircle the bottle adjacent the base thereof, as shown in Figure 2. A clamping device, designated generally as 10, adjustably secures ends of the "ice band 9. This clamping `device may take any form and,

in the present instance, a T-headed screw 11 is secured to one looped end of the band while the other end 'carries a sleeve 12, through which the screw is passed, there being a nut 13 carried on the threads of the screw, which nut, when tightened, draws the ends of the band together.

The strap 4 at its end opposite the hinge 5 is secured to a knuckle strap 4a, while one end of an elongated leaf spring 14 is provided with a knuckle 14a adapted tointermesh with the knuckles of strap 4a, the knuckles being held in alignment by the usual pin. Leaf spring 14 is curvedly bent, as shown in Figure 2, and adapted to be passed under a clamp 15, which is secured to the member 7. The particular clamp 15 is of trough plate form and allows for spring adjustment as to length of the leaf between its knuckle 14a and the said clamp 15. As shown by full lines in Figure 2, the leaf spring length is such as to normally tip the bottle forwardly, as shown in the full line position o-f said bottle, and the tipping movement may be at a greater angle to vertical by increasing the length of theleaf spring between the clamp 15 and its knuckle 14a.

`We`provide means for depressing thestrap 4 and hence compressing the leaf spring, and likewise allowing expansion of the leaf spring to tip the bottle. This means includes a motor 16 secured to a post 17 carried by the base 7, the shaft 18 of said motor carrying a disk 19 provided with outstanding arms provided with rollers 20 and 21. The rollers may be diametrically positioned on the disk or have other arrangement, and the number of rollers may likewise vary. Preferably, the motor 16 is electrically driven and turns at a slow rate of speed, say one revolution per minute, while the rollers 20 and 21 are so related as to contact the surface of the strap 4 to depress the strap downwardly relative to the hinge 5 and thereby compress the leaf spring 14 from the full line position of Figure `2 to the dotted line position of said figure. The strap 4 along one edge is provided with a cut-out or reduced width portion 22, whereby as the disk 19 rotates, the rollers will escape into the cut-out portion and allow the spring 14 to expand and thereby move the strap 4 from the dotted line position of Figure 2 to the full line position thereof. In this manner, the bottle is oscillated or tipped back and forth relative to the hinge 5 from the dotted line position of the bottle shown in Figure 2 to the full line position. As a further means for regulating the degree of tipping of the bottle, a U- shaped member 23 has the legs thereof secured to the member 7 while the transverse member joining the legs carries a stop 24 in the form of a rubber sleeve, for engaging in certain instances the said strap 4.

`The operation, uses and advantages of the invention described are as follows:

The operator for the particular display, having selected the particular brand of beverage,V places the bottle containing the beverage within the `cla'mp comprising the band 9 and its associated elements, and firmly secures the bottle. The length of leaf spring 14 is adjusted by releasing the clamp plate 15 to thereby control the desired swinging movement of the bottle from the dotted line position of Figure 2 to that of the full line position or for a greater tipping movement. Upon energizing the motor 16, the disk 19 is revolved at the desired rate of revolution, usually one revolution per minute, and the leaf depressors, constituting the rollers 20 and 21, will sequentially engage the leaf 4, as shown in Figure 2, to depress the said leaf from the full line position to the dotted line position, which in the present instance will move the display bottle from the full line position of said Figure to the dotted line position. The strap depressor will, during revolution of the disk 18, move over the4 surface of the strap 4 until it reaches the cut out 22, whereupon the depressor will escape the said strap and the strap will move very rapidly from the dotted line position thereof, shown in Figure 2, to the full line position, under spring action, whereupon the action is repeated by the next depressor arm and its roller. In addition to limiting7 swinging movement, the said member 23 further functions as a snubber for the bottle upon its return from an inclined position to a vertical position.

Preferably, a series of bottles or other types of containers are arranged on a shelf closely adjacent so that when the display device is in operation, at least one of said bottles will suddenly tip forwardly.` Usually, this has a startling eiect upon those who may be looking7 at .the `display and close thereto and the rst tendency is to prevent the bottle from falling from the shelf. Such action on the part of the observer or observers will direct the observers attention to the particular brand on the tipping bottle.

We claim:

1. A display device for containers, including an elongated strap provided with a cut-out portion, means hing ing one end of said strap to a supporting element, means carried by said strap adjacent its hinged end for securing asm-91e l the article to be displayed, means for the opposite end 25 of said strap normally elevating said end to tip the display device carried thereon, and means for depressing the said strap and the third named means to move the element being displayed from a tipped position to a vertical position, said means for depressing the said strap comprising a depressorarm for engagement with the strap and for releasing said strap through said cut-out portion.

2. A display device for bottles and other containers, including an elongated strap hinged at one end to a supporting member, a leaf spring, one end of which is hinged to the opposite end of said strap for normally elevating the end of the strap opposite the first-named hinge, and means for adjustably anchoring said leaf spring to said supporting member; means carried by said strap adjacent the first-named hinge secured to said supporting member for securing the bottle or other container to be displayed, a motor having a shaft, and means carried by said shaft for depressing the strap during motor rotation to cause the bottle displayed to tip forwardly and backwardly.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 723,757 Swallow Mar. 24, 1903 993,346 Buckley May 30, 1911 1,496,204 Brandstetter lune 3, 1924 FOREIGN PATENTS 717,547 France Oct. 20, 1931 

